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Metropolitan Tower (Chicago)

Residential skyscraper in Chicago, Illinois

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General referenceInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionAug 21, 2026
Entity authorityQ6825278 ↗
Source-derived summary

The Metropolitan Tower is a skyscraper located at 310 S. Michigan Avenue in Chicago's Historic Michigan Boulevard District in the Loop community area in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Developed by Metropolitan Properties of Chicago, it has been renovated as a condominium complex with 242 units. Residences range in size from 1,200 square feet (110 m2) to 4,000 square feet (370 m2). Penthouses feature 360 degree city views and private elevators. Prices run from $300,000 for a 762 square feet (70.8 m2) one-bedroom unit to $1.365 million for a 1,932 square feet (179.5 m2) three-bedroom. The Metropolitan Tower was also for a time home to a branch of Chase Bank. The space was also previously occupied by a CVS which has since closed.

History

Designed by Graham, Anderson, Probst & White, the Metropolitan Tower was named the Straus Building when completed in 1924. Though it was the first building in Chicago with 30 or more floors, it was never officially designated Chicago's tallest building since the Chicago Temple Building, also completed in 1924, is taller by 92 feet (28 m) but has seven fewer floors. The Straus Building and the Chicago Temple Building were the first to take advantage of the 1923 zoning ordinance; before then, no building in Chicago could be taller than 260 feet (79 m).

Editorial summary

This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Metropolitan Tower (Chicago)” as residential skyscraper in Chicago, Illinois. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.

Editorial reviewA concise reference frame for defining the subject, testing terminology and identifying the institution closest to the evidence. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1924, 1923—that can be checked directly. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. The account is most persuasive where Metropolitan, Tower and Chicago can be independently traced.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

The subject matters to the general reference register because the source frames it as residential skyscraper in Chicago, Illinois. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.

Evidence profile

Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 21, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q6825278. Authority coordinates are 41.878, -87.625. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1924 and 1923.

Critical limits

A concise general-reference account can conceal disagreements about scope, terminology or the weight assigned to individual sources. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.

Best used for
  • Subject orientation
  • Search vocabulary
  • Locating named sources
Verify next

The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Metropolitan Tower (Chicago)”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Metropolitan Tower (Chicago) primary sources, Metropolitan Tower (Chicago) archive and Metropolitan research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Metropolitan Tower (Chicago)”?
  2. What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
  3. Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Metropolitan Tower (Chicago)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.